Big tennis stadium going up at The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier resort plans to complete this 2,500-seat tennis stadium next June.

The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs is building a 2,500-seat tennis stadium which, in 2015, will become the home for The Greenbrier Champions Tennis Classic, the resort’s showcase of retired tennis legends.

The new stadium, Center Court at Creekside, will feature a U-shaped design, with the open side facing Howard’s Creek and offering views of the resort’s marquee Old White golf course.

The resort has already broken ground on the arena and expects to complete it by June of next year.

The 46,000-square-foot facility was designed by Detroit-based ROSSETTI architects, a news release from the resort said.

It will offer up to 400 “corporate” seats and will have camera pits and a camera area for television broadcasts.

This is the second major project that The Greenbrier has announced this year. The resort hosted training camp for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints after building three new football fields and new facilities for the team.

The Saints collaboration was announced at the state Capitol in March, on the same day that Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill that could give millions of dollars in tax credits to The Greenbrier and its owner, Jim Justice.

Tomblin and the Legislature amended and extended the state’s Tourism Development Act, which gives businesses a tax break worth up to 25 percent of the cost of building new facilities that contribute to tourism.

The Saints facilities and the tennis arena appear to meet most of the qualifications to receive the tax break — they’re likely to get 25 percent of visitors from out of state, provide employment opportunities and cost more than $1 million to build.

To qualify for the credit, though, the facilities also must be open to the public for at least 100 days per year.

A spokeswoman for The Greenbrier did not respond Thursday when asked if the resort would apply for the tax credit.

Reach David Gutman at david.gutman@wvgazette.com, 304-348-5119 or follow @davidlgutman on Twitter.